Does yoga reduce anxiety in women with PMS?

Objective: To study the effects of yoga on anxiety and vital signs in women that at the same time suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Material and Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, yoga administered to subjects with PMS for ten weeks in three sessions with a duration of 60 minutes. Women in the control group did not do any yoga. The demographic questionnaire was filled in by subjects before the intervention. Subjects were also expressed their experiences by filling the Hamilton anxiety rating scale twice, before and after the intervention. Sixty-two subjects were entered into the study equally divided into yoga and control groups, randomly. Results: The symptoms of anxiety including anxious mood, tension, fears, insomnia, intellectual, depressed mood, somatic (muscular), somatic (sensory), cardiovascular symptoms, respiratory symptoms, autonomic symptoms were significantly improved in the yoga group after intervention compared to the control group (P<0.05), except gastrointestinal symptoms, genitourinary symptoms, and behavior at the interview, based on Mann-Whitney Test. Vital signs did not change after yoga exercises except diastolic pressure which was regulated (P<0.05). Conclusions: Yoga significantly affected the anxiety and condition of women with PMS concluding applicability of yoga for women with PMS to pass menstrual cycles with less anxiety.

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